The MDIS-University Of Bradford Graduation Ceremony

08 Nov 2003

By Dr Balaji Sadasivan

Venue: Suntec City

Thank you for inviting me to the MDIS - University of Bradford graduation ceremony 2003.

Let me first extend my congratulations to the graduates for their achievements. Today is an important day for many of you. Today, your many hours of hard work, determination and perseverance are recognized.

As you finish University, you start a new phase in your life. Finishing, getting started, keeping going, finishing and getting started again is an essential rhythm of life. To succeed in this rhythm of life, you must like what you do. Each one of us has a hidden talent waiting to be expressed. If you find your inner talent, the things you feel passion for, and you pursue your passion, you will find satisfaction and achieve success. Too often, we think we need to follow the well-trodden path and as a result our talents remain hidden and our potential unexpressed.

I came across a story that I want to share with you: The King of the animals, the lion wanted all the animals to be alike. So he decided to start a pilot project with a duck, a rabbit, a squirrel and an eagle. They would all be alike and learn swimming, running, climbing and flying.

Well, the duck was excellent at swimming. In fact, he was better than his teacher was; but he could not run. He could walk but he just could not run. He tried and tried till he damaged his web feet and because of the injury to the web feet, his swimming also suffered.

The rabbit was excellent at running but when he tried to swim, he drowned.

The squirrel was excellent at climbing, but he could fly only by taking off from the top of the tree. He just could not fly from the ground up and after trying many times, he got frustrated and suffered a nervous break down.

Whenever the animals were climbing up a tree, the eagle always got to the top of the tree first and claimed he was best at climbing but he did it his way. The other animals thought he was cheating and so they beat him up.

The moral of the story is that we are all different. For everyone to reach his true potential, the duck should swim, the rabbit run, the squirrel climb and the eagle fly. Each one of you is unique and you can go far and succeed if you tap the talents that are unique to you.

Today when you graduate, you have reached a stepping stone in your life. A place where you can stop and enjoy looking back at the distance you have covered. You should also reflect on the fact that you did not cover this ground all by yourself. You are graduating today because many people believed in you and invested in you - especially your parents and your teachers. I am sure there must be a surge of joy and pride among the families and friends who are gathered here today for this graduation ceremony.

Each one of you graduates must also feel this surge of emotion. I see a bright future for all of you. I see a bright future for the world because of the youth, passion and energy in all of you. So as you graduate, go forth, find your inner talents and make the world before you a better one.

Thank you.